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Fiji police monitoring political activity: opposition

Villagers display their political allegiance to the SDL party on the side of their house in Nasau on Koro, 09 May 2006.

AFP: Torsten Blackwood: file photo

A political party in Fiji says a newspaper report about alleged police and army monitoring of political activity is correct.

In the Fiji Sun newspaper on Friday, Assistant Commissioner of Police Rusiate Tudravu hinted that police had mounted a joint operation with the military to monitor political activities.

The warning comes after interim Prime Minister Commodore Frank Bainimarama expressed concerns that there were some former politicians and civil servants allegedly spreading "lies" about the security of iTaukei land.

A senior Fiji police officer has told Radio Australia on Monday the newspaper story was incorrect.

But the Fiji Sun is standing by the report, saying they have had no complaints about it.

Dr Tupeni Baba, the spokesman for SODELPA (the former SDL party) has told Radio Australia's Pacific Beat the story was correct.

"And I think there has been some kind of intimidation from the police and probably from higher up," he said.

"About our attempt to explain fully why they are wrong, why the government is actually selling lies to the people of Fiji that certain things in the draft constitution are not true - particularly in relation to the protection of indigenous Fijian land."

Fiji's Permanent Secretary of Information, Sharon Smith-Johns, has issued a statement in response to questions about the alleged police monitoring of political activity.

Ms Smith-Johns says there are no longer any impediments to political statements in Fiji, nor restrictions on political meetings.

She says all registered parties are free to meet, organise themselves and put their policies to the nation, and that the media is also free to cover the government's activities.

All three former political parties - Labour, the National Federation Party and SODELPA - have been registered to contest the 2014 election.